A draft version of a report penned by State Comptroller Yosef Shapira about Operation Protective Edge, the findings of which are rumored to indicate damning failures of the government’s handling of the war, will be presented before the Knesset for review. Fifty-three MKs hailing from the various opposition factions signed on Sunday the initiative to bring about a special discussion on the matter.

Its signatories include MKs who signed the initiative are from Meretz, The Zionist Union Camp, the Arab Joint List and Yesh Atid. The day of the discussion has yet to be determined.

Meretz Chairman Ilan Gilon said: “Serious failures of the previous Netanyahu government which are coming to light in the leaked draft report, prove that the security of Israel is in the hands of people who can’t be trusted. We demand even more so that, given the latest incidents in the south, the prime minister appears to the Knesset to be held accountable and provide clear answers to the public.”

On Monday morning reserve General Yom-Tov Samia, who served as Deputy Commander of the Southern Command during the 50-day operation, also expressed harsh criticism about the handling of the war. “I have not read the draft report but however drastic it may be - I am not sure that it will be drastic enough,” he said. During an interview with Army Radio , Samia added: “The honor award ceremony for the operation was a scandal. The citations were there to cover something up.”

Last Thursday, media sources reported State Comptroller Yosef Shapira's intention to publish a devestating report about the operation which would include profound criticism of Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and former Chief of Staff Benny Gantz.

A draft of the secret report was presented before cabinet members who served during the operation.

According to the news channels, the draft contains a claim that, among other things, Netanyahu and Ya’alon did not update the cabinet about Shin Bet warnings of possible military conflicts against Hamas in July 2014 and that Netanyahu’s government never discussed the tunnel threat until Operation Protective Edge itself. Gantz is expected to be criticised for the military evaluations which he submitted to the cabinet.

Harsh responses by bereaved families of the operation were also forthcoming upon hearing of the draft. “I want to receive this report, I hear people from Netanyahu’s and Ya’alon’s side saying that this is nonsense. Since when does the government criticise the State Comptroller?” asked Ilan Sagi, the father of soldier Erez Sagi who fell during the 2014 summer operation after Hamas terrorists suddenly emerged from a tunnel close to military stand at which he was stationed.

Sagi added during a conversation with Ynet that “the subject absolutely has to come to public light so that everyone can know and see the management of the government. It is important for the families. I hope that the report will be published and they will not plaster over things.”

The two politicians, who served as ministers during the 2014 summer war, were critical of the prime minister's decision-making even during the operation itself; ‘Israel only responds to actions and threats made by Hamas, rather than take any real initiative,’ Lieberman says; ‘The way to fix failings is not to attack the criticism,’ Sa’ar states.

Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman and former Likud member Gideon Sa'ar, who were both ministers during Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014, harshly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday following the leak of parts of a scathing State Comptroller report on the most recent war in Gaza.

Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman and former Likud member Gideon Sa'ar, who were both ministers during Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014, harshly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday following the leak of parts of a scathing State Comptroller report on the most recent war in Gaza.

Officials in Netanyahu's close circle rejected the report draft, asserting that “the operation was managed in a transparent manner and concluded successfully. All the rest is slander.” Moreover, they insisted that cabinet sessions were convened many times and their meetings included talks of the threat of tunnels.

Lieberman pointed out that the Shin Bet has passed on information about the tunnel threat to the prime minister, the defense minister and the IDF chief, but the intelligence agency's warnings "did not receive serious response from the army and not brought to the cabinet's knowledge," noting that this fact only "strengthens the truth in the reports of the failings the State Comptroller is pointing to."

He criticized the fact that "Israel only responds to actions and threats made by Hamas, rather than take any real initiative in order to change the situation completely and remove the ongoing and growing threat from Gaza to the citizens of Israel."

Sa'ar, who was the interior minister during the operation and retired from political life less than a month after the war had ended, wrote on his Twitter page: "The '50 day campaign' in the summer of 2014 was a failure for Israel. I said these things in real time as a member of the government. The way to fix failings is not to attack the criticism."

He went on to say that "We must learn from mistakes and failings. Denying reality is not a good way to go."

The Prime Minister's Office did not respond to these comments.

Former IDF chief Benny Gantz, who commanded the military during the operation, addressed the leaking of the report draft on Friday as well. "I regret the fact the comptroller's report got to me 24 hours after it got to the press. Protective Edge was managed by the prime minister, the defense minister, and myself, in a level-headed, responsible and balanced manner. And I will act in the same manner on this issue," he said.

Opposition leader Isaac Herzog joined the chorus of criticism against Netanyahu. "Then, exactly as they do today, the conversation focused on slogans against Hamas instead of stopping and striking at Hamas's leadership," Herzog wrote on Twitter. "It turns out that not all who shout are truly frightening. Instead of trying to defeat the comptroller, who is a very serious man, they should deal with defeating Hamas." Yesh Atid MK Ofer Shelah, meanwhile, said that "the leaks from the comptroller's report are a grave issue, a continuation of the unrestrained behavior of some members of the cabinet during Operation Protective Edge. However, one thing remains clear, and we don't need a report to know it: Israel was unprepared to a war that it saw was in the making for years, it had no plan or goals, and the IDF was not properly prepared.

The main and direct man responsible for that is the prime minister in the five years that preceded the operation - Benjamin Netanyahu. The lesson for the public is clear: Don't be fooled by slogans, demand an investigation of the truth and for lessons to be learned, not just to honor the fallen, but also in order to improve what needs to be improved for the future."

'Irresponsible politicians leaked draft'

State Comptroller Yosef Shapira

According to reports in Israeli media, the draft report claims that Netanyahu and Ya’alon did not update the cabinet about Shin Bet warnings of possible military conflicts against Hamas in July 2014 and Netanyahu’s government never discussed the tunnel threat until Operation Protective Edge itself. Gantz is expected to be criticized over the military evaluations he submitted to the cabinet before and during the operation.

State Comptroller Yosef Shapira asked the prime minister and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit on Friday to investigate who among those whose conduct is examined in the report leaked the draft of a report classified as "top secret." He also called on those who appear in the report to focus on responding to the draft.

Shapira stressed that all of the reports his office compiles "are done according to strict professional standards, as was the case in the reports on the prime minister's residences and the housing crisis."

In recent weeks, Netanyahu has undertaken great efforts to soften the harsh charges leveled in the report. Among other things, he met with Shapira and with other officials from the State Comptroller's office in an effort to explain the damage which can be caused by the report if it is published in its current version.

Netanyahu's close associates criticized the leaking of details from the report's draft, claiming that "there are no similarities between what was reported by the press and what's written in the draft. This draft will also surely change before the final report is released, after responses are received."

They went on to say that "without going into the details of the report, even the comptroller states that the prime minister defined the tunnel threats as a central one long before the operation and instructed all bodies to act to thwart the threat. The report's draft was leaked and distorted by irresponsible politicians who were members of the cabinet and know the truth but still prefer to distort it for political reasons. Operation Protective Edge was managed responsibly and with level-headedness, and delivered the harshest blow Hamas has suffered since its establishment. The time that has passed since Protective Edge has been the calmest in the Gaza border area since 2000."

State Comptroller expected to publish a report slamming the Prime Minister and his close circle's silence about tunnel threat: PM's defenders: This is slander.

State Comptroller Yosef Shapira intends to publish a scathing report about Operation Protective Edge in Gaza in 2014. The expected critique condemns the conduct of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and former Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, according to television news channels reporting Thursday.

A draft of the secret report was presented before cabinet members who served during the operation.

According to the news channels, the draft contains a claim that, among other things, Netanyahu and Ya’alon did not update the cabinet about Shin Bet warnings of possible military conflicts against Hamas in July 2014 and that Netanyahu’s government never discussed the tunnel threat until Operation Protective Edge itself. Gantz is expected to be criticised for the military evaluations which he submitted to the cabinet.

During recent weeks Netanyahu has undertaken great efforts to soften the harsh charges leveled in the report. Among other things, Netanyahu met with Shapira and with people from his office in an effort to explain the damage which can be caused by the report if it is published in its current version.

Indeed, officials who read the draft said that “we are talking about a report which is a lot worse than the Winograd report which analyzed the failures of the Second Lebanon War (of2006).” They also added that the report constitutes a political ticking bomb that will depict Operation Protective Edge as a grave failure exceeding that of the Second Lebanon War.” The report, they said, will posit that nothing has changed and that the lessons of the most recent Lebanon war have not been learned.

Netanyahu’s close circle is already preparing preventative steps and has rebuffed the claims as not being serious. They rejected the findings, claiming that “the operation was managed in a transparent manner and concluded successfully. All the rest is slander.” Moreover, they insisted that cabinet sessions were convened many times and their meetings included talks of the threat of tunnels.

Officials in Ya’alon’s circle were no less aggressive in their rejections. “This is a scandalous draft, with its leak prior to the comptroller's remarks and its content, which is not connected with what is happening. The facts in the draft are inaccurate, and whoever wrote it does not understand the decision making process and how the cabinet works. Regarding the tunnels, the report is also disconnected from reality. The State of Israel deals with the subject of tunnels to which it has dedicated mass resources for many years. Whoever claims that he was unfamiliar with the tunnels and the their handlings is lying to the public. The draft is fraught with inaccuracies and lacks understanding of the operations and the system,” it concluded.

Representatives of institutions for people with special needs called for criminalizing and holding the Israeli occupation authority responsible for the crimes it commits against persons with disabilities through repeated aggression on the Gaza Strip.

The representatives pointed out in a panel discussion on Tuesday about the involvement of the disabled persons in the reconstruction process of the Strip that the blockade on Gaza and the lack of reconstruction projects have led to a serious deterioration of the conditions of people with disabilities there.

They noted that financiers refuse to support the National Plan for Disaster Management, and to include the activities of evacuation for people with disabilities in the Plan.

War crimes

For his part, the Executive Director of Baituna (our house) for Community Development Association, Abdul Rahman Almzaanen, confirmed during the panel discussion organized by the Palestinian NGOs network in Gaza City and with the participation of a PIC reporter, that the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against the people with special needs are war crimes.

He said that Israel should be forced to respect international human rights agreements and conventions, including those concerned with the rights of persons with disabilities.

He pointed to the need to compel the occupation to be held accountable for its violations against persons with disabilities, including the consequences of the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip.

Almzaanen demanded the reconstruction and renovation of work places for persons with disabilities, which were destroyed during the aggression to adapt for the people with special needs.

Regarding the role of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works in the reconstruction especially with regard to homes and institutions of the people with special needs, representative for the Ministry, Hani Algrez, asserted that the ministry is facing great pressure because the donors are not fulfilling their promises regarding the financial aid amounts that have been announced in the reconstruction conference in Cairo.

He said: "Qatar is the only country that has fulfilled its promise to provide one billion dollars for the construction of 1,000 housing units, while the other grants are chained with lots of conditions and complications." He pointed out that the Ministry had got only (25%) of the donor funds amounts agreed upon, this resulted in a significant fiscal deficit, especially with the large number of housing units completely destroyed, reaching 11 thousand housing units in addition to the large number of houses partially destroyed; however, many of which are not suitable for habitation.

He pointed out that the construction of Hamad Residential Town adapted for people with disabilities because the planning and execution was entrusted to the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, unlike other projects where the Ministry was only an executor of projects.

Israeli violations

A research study prepared by the Palestinian NGOs Network on the vision of the rehabilitation sector on the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, stressed the need to support the National Plan for Disaster Management, and to include the activities of evacuation for people with disabilities in the Plan.

The study, that the PIC got a copy of, called on the international community to intervene to protect civilians and to stop the systematic violations committed by the Zionist enemy against them.

The study, prepared by specialists in the rehabilitation sector in the Palestinian NGOs network in partnership with many of the institutions concerned with the same affairs, called for the reconstruction, renovation and equipping of the workplaces and rehabilitation institutions for persons with disabilities, which were destroyed during the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip to adapt for the persons with special needs.

The study stressed the need to involve persons with disabilities and their caregivers in the planning, implementation, following-up and evaluation of the plan of reconstruction of Gaza, especially in projects related to them, and to involve them during the implementation of the reconstruction plan through offering them appropriate employment opportunities, and developing a system of complaints on the implementation of the reconstruction plan and on their participation and achievements.

The study pointed out that despite the international resolutions and agreements that call for respect for and protection of persons with disabilities; however, their rights are constantly violated in the occupied Palestinian territories due to the repeated heinous violations by the Israeli occupation authorities against the Palestinian rights. It continued: "the aggression on the Gaza Strip by Israel has affected all categories of the Palestinian people.

However, the category of persons with disabilities was more vulnerable to the violations of the Israeli occupation due to their weak abilities to move and vacate their homes."

It pointed to the direct targeting of the institutions for persons with disabilities and of their houses with direct bombardment on the ravaged areas by the Israeli occupation from the town of Beit Hanoun in the north to the city of Rafah in the south.

Illegal blockade

Regarding the impact of the blockade imposed on persons with disabilities, the study said: "the illegal siege imposed on the Gaza Strip resulted in the exacerbation in violations against the rights of persons with disabilities, despite the fact that the siege is one of the prohibited collective punishments by the rules of international humanitarian law."

It pointed out that the conditions of persons with disabilities are becoming worse with the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Strip, caused by the severe restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation on the people's freedom of movement".

It continued: "Because of the catastrophic and serious lack of supplies that affect all basic services for persons with disabilities namely: power, fuel and supplies of medicines and medical assistive devices, people with special needs in Gaza are deprived from access to health, water, environment, education and rehabilitation services."

It showed that the economic and social conditions of people with disabilities has steadily deteriorated as they and their families are now suffering from extreme poverty, deprivation of many rehabilitation and care services, and the lack of many medical devices.